This zonal marking caper

YOGI_GER

Well-Known Member
Why have we adopted this stupid defending system?

I’ve never seen it work for any team, the players don’t seem to know what they’re doing with it.

Every set piece it’s heart in the mouth stuff, we had a warning 5 minutes before that first goal last night.

Get it in the bin ASAP, go man to man and on the post or we’ll see more embarrassments in the next few weeks
 
The fact that sands walked off his man and he (Ajax) went on to score from that corner was just a joke. They keep doing it.

I heard Walter Smith preferred using zonal and man marking together. That makes more sense because sands and Goldson don't have a clue what they're doing.

I can't believe they can't figure out that they need to mark their man in those corners. How many beat downs will it take for Gio to get that in his head. Had enough of him and his one dimensional football.
 
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Statistically zonal is a better system than man-to-man.

Our take on it is a disgrace though. Although we would struggle in any set up given how badly we lack proper physicality in our team now.

McCoist nailed it in his half time analysis yesterday. When we lost Aribo, Bassey and Balogun we didn’t just lose three technically able players, we lost three physical specimens and didn’t replace them.
 
Statistically zonal is a better system than man-to-man.

Our take on it is a disgrace though. Although we would struggle in any set up given how badly we lack proper physicality in our team now.

McCoist nailed it in his half time analysis yesterday. When we lost Aribo, Bassey and Balogun we didn’t just lose three technically able players, we lost three physical specimens and didn’t replace them.
Tillmans just as good in the air as Aribo, Bassey and Balogun were awful at defending corners.

Our "replacements" are injured granted Davies is back to the bench last night.
 
I genuinely don't know what the positives of using zonal marking is, does anyone car to explain it for me? It seems to confuse the f*ck out of everybody. James Sands didn't know what he was doing for that goal (or at any point of the match) it seems.
 
Whether youre Man Marking or Zonal Covering you have to be switched on.

These Rangers Defenders seem like their minds are off doing something else when the game is going on.

Its happened so often to the same players and its going to keep happening.
 
It's good in theory if you have highly intelligent players to deliver it, by that, I mean the top players in the world with football IQs off the scale.

We don't have that, we have players used to man marking, and it's become a bad joke. Just confuses players in the box as their first thought is 'am in the right zone', rather than 'theres the ball, im a gonna head that'
 
Saying nobody uses it or it doesn't work for anyone is wrong.

It's probably one of the most common systems used today, especially by bigger teams. Most don't notice it because it works and teams are not all over the place like us.

It's not working with this squad and Gio, who funnily enough has been known for changing systems/formations when it hasn't been working, strikes me as a coach, when under pressure, who will stick to what he believes regardless of the noise. A bit like Advocaat, I think he will continue with it out of stubbornness.

He must see that we lose most duels in the air when defending corners, which makes it even more baffling why he has nobody on at least one of the posts.
 
A system that gives goldson carte Blanche to shrug those shoulders more than he already does

There’s something completely off with it.

Everybody say’s statistically the chances of scoring from corners are low when people on here defend why we don’t score more often from them

Seems to only apply one way because when we concede a corner it’s genuine heart in mouth stuff
 
When zonal marking you need to have blockers to stop people getting a free run and jump. Watched the goal last night and nobody doing this for a player that was allowed to stroll up to our 6 yard box with no one within w yard of him.

It is so amateur.
 
Serious question. Could someone try and explain the merits of zonal marking for me please? I genuinely can't see the point in it at all.

In theory it stops defenders being dragged away in a clump, leaving a large space in the box without a defender in that zone. It should also give a defender the opportunity to get a running start rather than that simply being to the attackers benefit.

The problem is you need defenders who actually want to attack the ball in the air. Right the way through our team, we are deprived of aerial threats. We need to go man to put a body on attackers.

Yet another example of poor recruitment regarding system fit.
 
Serious question. Could someone try and explain the merits of zonal marking for me please? I genuinely can't see the point in it at all.
Benefit of it is you can attack the ball rather than just react to your opponent.

However to me there is so many flaws with it that it should be used with man marking, a mix of both seems to work.
 
Why have we adopted this stupid defending system?

I’ve never seen it work for any team, the players don’t seem to know what they’re doing with it.

Every set piece it’s heart in the mouth stuff, we had a warning 5 minutes before that first goal last night.

Get it in the bin ASAP, go man to man and on the post or we’ll see more embarrassments in the next few weeks
We can all see this but our coaching staff are incapable of seeing what is right in front of them. Has to be binned now.
 
We have defenders who are six foot plus who jump five foot ten. When that happens it doesn’t matter if it is zonal or man to man.

That said, this zonal malarkey clearly isn’t cutting it.
 
It is terrible, season we won 55 they zonal marked and conceded a goal just about every week from crosses and i thought im glad we hav never done that. Mark ur man win ur fight.
Most footballers just want simple instructions eg which man to mark at a corner. Zonal marking is the confusing brainchild of some self important coaching guru who probably won f**k all in his life.
 
I thought we’d maybe gone to this because McLaughlin was gonna come for more crosses. Think he’s come for about three so far this season. Ironically he came for one further out later in the first half than the one he didn’t come for.

As people have said it lets players go it wasn’t my zone. We are struggling with it massively and it should be stopped immediately.
 
According to the manager, it's just about 'desire'.

Our set-pieces are left to a GK coach who was given a job because his dad was a good GK coach.
 
Every team we play against head corners clear with great ease.

The game's hard enough, why complicate it more with shite like this?
 
I remember someone saying (can't remember who) players score goals not space. That always stuck with me. Mark the man take the responsibility
 
It just sums up how badly coached the players are. We had a team of elite professionals in Gerrards back room staff. Now the team is unfit, unprepared and can’t defend basic set pieces
 
Removes responsibility

What happened to;

“Thats your man. Mark him. Stop him getting to the ball”

Instead we have players with their feet planted standing looking at each other.

Take responsibility. Mark your man. Stop him scoring.

Agree. Who’s marking that lady's front bottom? You are.

It’s perfect for goldson style defenders who look to blame others constantly
 
Did you miss the post last night about Colin Stewart being the set piece coach as well as the Goalie coach?

Zonal marking is always a shit show especially when we have next to no physical presence.

Gio apparently learns from his mistakes here’s another he hasn’t.
 
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